


A Day at the Beach

by NotManTheLessButNatureMore



Series: I Love You [11]
Category: Cormoran Strike Series - Robert Galbraith
Genre: Beach Day, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-21
Updated: 2019-02-21
Packaged: 2019-11-01 19:14:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17873186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NotManTheLessButNatureMore/pseuds/NotManTheLessButNatureMore
Summary: The four amigos plus baby Herbert enjoy a day at the beach





	A Day at the Beach

**Author's Note:**

> So I wrote this maybe 2 weeks ago and only realised today that I hadn’t posted it. So here it is. Just a fun little drabble.

“I’m freezing!” Robin squealed as she ran towards him. Cormoran’s eyes roamed over her legs where sand clung to her knees and right thigh. He held a towel up to her from where he was sitting and she quickly grabbed it and wrapped herself in it before dropping down beside him. He wrapped an arm around her and began trying to rub some heat back into her.

 

“Didn’t know you were such a good swimmer.” Strike said as she began squeezing some of the water from her hair.

 

“I loved it when I was a kid. Me and my brothers went every Wednesday after school and every weekend.” Robin said, her rosy cheeks dimpling with a smile.

 

“Mum took me and Lucy a few times, and when we were in Cornwall we’d go to the beach a lot.” Strike looked towards the horizon as he spoke and Robin smiled. He was becoming more and more forthcoming with pieces of his childhood. Short facts or simple stories were added casually to conversations without any expectation of a response, something which Robin was grateful for when it came to those with darker tones.

 

Robin followed Strike’s gaze and saw Nick returning from the water with a screaming baby in his arms and Ilsa not far behind.

 

“He hates it.” Nick shouted as he got near.

 

“Told you. He’s a London lad, not made for the water.” Strike responded.

 

Nick came to kneel in the sand in front of his two friends followed closely by Ilsa. Nick placed the baby on the edge of the blanket Strike had been lying on and Ilsa began rubbing a hand up and down her son’s back in an effort to soothe him.

 

“He’s half Cornish you know.” Ilsa said with a raised eyebrow.

 

“Being raised in London.” Strike countered.

 

“So were you half the time, doesn’t stop you always being on at me to bring fudge and beer back home when I’m visiting mum.”

 

“Alright, alright.” Strike conceded with a smile and then threw a baby blanket at Nick.

 

“Cheers mate, I think little Basil is done with the sea for the day.” Nick said as he gathered the blanket around the baby.

 

Robin smiled to herself as she caught Ilsa’s eye roll. Somehow a trip to the pub last month had ended up with Nick telling Strike about his new venture in herb gardening and then Strike drunkenly declaring the baby’s nickname would be Basil. Since then Robin had wondered if all of Strike’s nicknames hadn’t come into being in similar circumstances.

 

“You gonna go in Corm?” Ilsa asked a little hopefully.

 

Robin and Ilsa had been in the water for most of the time they’d been at the beach, with Nick slowly making his way in and out according to Basil’s temperament. Strike had plonked himself down on a blanket with a bottle of beer and watched his friends without venturing any further. He had been to the beach since he’d lost his leg but only ever for a walk along the shore. If he was honest, the more he’d watched Robin and his friends and godson the more he’d felt like a spare part and wanted to escape to the pub. There were a lot of things that very often weren’t worth the hassle when you wore a prosthetic, not unless you absolutely needed to do them, and making his way into the sea was one thing that Strike had long ago given up on.

 

“No, I’m alright.”

 

“You sure?” Ilsa asked.

 

“Yeah, Yeah. I can take Basil if you lot want to have another swim.”

 

Robin looked at him with raised eyebrows, she knew he was trying to change the subject if he was offering to take a temperamental Basil.

 

“The water’s not that cold once you get in, why don’t you join us?” Nick said, thankfully without a glance to Strike’s prosthetic which was gleaming in the sun light. Robin had talked him into wearing shorts by making a valid argument that no one goes to the beach in black jeans in the middle of August.

 

“You go.” Strike said and with a slight pause Nick handed Basil over. Strike settled his godson in his lap and placed a toy in front of him. Strike grabbed his almost empty beer as Robin moved closer to him.

 

“Are you sure you don’t want to swim?” She asked.

 

“Too much hassle .” Strike murmured as Basil began crawling away from him.

 

“Is it just because of your leg?” Robin asked with a glint in her eye.

 

“Why?”

 

“Because I’ve got a solution.”

 

“What?”

 

“Nick!” Robin shouted, drawing him back from the water’s edge.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Will you give Strike a hand into the water?” Robin asked.

 

“Sure!” Nick said, excitement lighting his eyes up.

 

“No, it’s alright. I’m not going in.” Strike said stubbornly.

 

“Oh come on, it’ll be fun. Don’t you want to swim with me?” Robin said, letting the towel around her slip down to reveal more of the red swimsuit Strike was particularly fond of. He looked up at her from where his eyes had wandered and smirked.

 

“Bribery.” He said to her.

 

“Motivation.” She said with a cheeky smile. Ilsa reappeared and pulled Basil into her arms just as he was about to eat a handful of sand. Strike looked from Robin to Nick and then admitted defeat.

 

“Alright fine.” He pulled his t-shirt off and threw it at Robin before getting awkwardly to his feet. Nick held a hand out and Strike scoffed at him.

 

“I can walk you know.”

 

“It’s sand, even I stumble sideways every now and then.”

 

Nick didn’t drop his arm but instead left it to hover by Strike’s elbow just in case. The made their way down to the shoreline but Strike had to fight the urge to make an excuse and turn around.

 

Cormoran looked along the beach waiting to catch the pitiful glance of someone watching him struggle down to the water. He felt the same strange mixture of self consciousness and bravado that he did when his leg was bad and he had to pin his trouser leg up and get about with his crutches. All he’d get all day would be pointed looks, second glances and whispers.

 

Robin directed Nick and then Strike found himself leaning towards Nick, whose hands were on his shoulders to steady him. He pulled his prosthetic off and passed it to Robin who ran back to put it with the rest of their belongings. Ilsa was knee high in the water watching them with Basil in her arms and Strike looked up to see her smile warmly at him. He threw an arm around Nick’s shoulders and Nick grabbed a hold of his wrist as they began to hop the few short spaces into the water. Robin arrived beside him and walked with them until the water got to Strike’s thighs. Strike pulled his arm from Nick’s shoulders and with a quick “thanks mate” he dove into the water with a splash.

 

Strike reappeared a few metres from them and then Nick swam out towards him as Robin watched fondly.

 

“Boys.” Ilsa said with a shake of her head as Nick began trying to push Strike under the water. Robin just laughed and felt a flood of happiness spread through her. She swam out to them and wrapped her arms around Cormoran’s chest as she came up behind him.

 

“I’d rather you didn’t drown the love of my life, you know.” Robin shouted at Nick with a mock scowl on her face.

 

“It’s payback.” Nick said and threw a look at Strike that had Robin wondering what story was behind his claim. All three looked back towards Ilsa as Basil let out a loud scream of delight. Ilsa was holding him close to the water so that his feet were able to splash about. Nick made his way back to them and Strike pulled Robin around so that their noses were almost touching as they treaded water.

 

“Thanks.” He said.

 

“I didn’t do anything.”

 

“Yes, you did.” He said and then kissed her.

 

Robin hooked her legs around his waist and wrapped her arms round his neck. Strike felt Robin’s stomach press against his and her thighs around his waist. He pulled her closer and tightened his arms around her. Robin’s cheeks were beginning to ache from so much smiling and Strike huffed a laugh.

 

“What?” She asked.

 

“I love you.” He said with a smile and a kiss.

 

“I love you too.” Robin replied and squeezed his waist with her thighs, watching as his eyes darkened.

 

They stayed in the water for a while and then with Nick’s help made their way back to their spot as the clouds moved in front of the sun. Ilsa pulled some crisps and more drinks from her bag and Robin settled beside Strike who kept his hand on the small of her back. Basil was dozing where he had collapsed in the shade with his chubby cheek pressed against Strike’s stump acting as a pillow.

**Author's Note:**

> I know! Basil! But part of me doesn’t want to name Nick and Ilsa’s little one because if JKR gifts them with an offspring in the next book (here’s hoping) then the names won’t match up. So Cormoran saves the day by passing his ability to attract nicknames on to his godson. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading!


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